Spain Dominate U21s: Who Said Tiki-Taka Is Dead?

On the same day the Football Association decided to part ways with Stuart Pearce for England’s dismal showing at the UEFA European U-21 Championship, holders Spain won their second successive underage title, beating Italy 4-2 in the final in Jerusalem.

But not only did Spain’s performance at the tournament make England’s look ridiculous (thank goodness the two didn’t meet in Israel this month), it also put to bed the notion that the country’s Barcelona-inspired tiki-taka style of football had somehow died with the Catalans’ thumping at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Although, given the magnitude of the defeat—the German side triumphed 7-0 on aggregate en route to the European Cup and a historic treble—such a rush to conclusions was almost excusable considering the manner in which the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and, when he played, Lionel Messi were brushed aside by Bayern.

Extrapolating that thinking, it was possible to reach the theory that tiki-taka would live and die with the current generation of Barcelona players—an impending reality that would surely affect the Spanish national team as well.

For while Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta are still the forces that drive La Roja to title after title (their 2-1 win over Uruguay in the Confederations Cup was an especially vintage performance), there was never any reason to assume the players that followed them would pick up their stylistic mantle.

Until now.

The Spanish U-21 side not only did their senior counterparts credit with a dominant display in Israel, but they also let the world know that the country’s stylistic traditions would be maintained going forward. And for that, they have a national association with a playing philosophy that crosses all age groups to thank.

Where Busquets is the defensive conscience and deepest-lying passer in the senior Spanish side, Asier Illarramendi filled the role for the U-21s—and he excelled in it. Already among La Liga’s best midfielders at the age of 23, the Real Sociedad man was one of the primary reasons why his club earned a place in the upcoming Champions League campaign.

Thiago Alcantara, meanwhile, was the U-21s' version of Xavi.

Attempting an average of 84.5 passes per game at the tournament (including 8.2 accurate long balls), the 22-year-old completed more than 93 percent of them and chipped in three goals to boot according to WhoScored.

He had had difficulty displacing the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona’s first XI, but if the past few weeks were any indication, he’ll be able to pick his next destination should he leave the Catalan capital this summer.

Finally, Isco functioned as the U-21s' Iniesta, making well-timed runs into dangerous space and chipping in offensively with three goals—one of which came in the final.

Given Malaga’s European ban, it’s likely the 21-year-old will be on the move in the next few weeks, but for now he’ll be relishing an U-21 championship with an up-and-coming group of Spanish youngsters destined for big things at senior level.

“The most important thing is to win the championship,” he told AS after the match (h/t Goal.com). “It’s a wonder how strong we have been in this tournament.”

He added: “The most important thing is to show the world tiki-taka football.”